Ethical ??? for everyone

[drahthaar]

Boy, I have never had to make that decision thinking off the top of my head. After this year, I would be nervous tagging a wounded animal. On Friday of T-giving I walked out on my property to find a buck laying sick barely moving, twitching its tail. Great. I already filled my tag. I called a buddy whom had not filled his tags and told him to come shoot it. Well long story short, I don't know how long this buck had been floundering around the woods, but my gosh, it was stinky. Someone had blown up his front shoulder/leg, but that poor bugger must have suffered a long time. I told him it wasn't worth trying to save the hinds, infection can go everywhere. So it was a total loss. I would be ticked if I blew my tag on an animal I couldn't even eat.
I hate to think about what that buck went through before we ended it. But you know, part of me thinks its not my job to clean up mistakes in the woods either. Plenty of lions and wolves and coyotes to do that. Tough call.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I once came across what appeared to be alot of blood squirting out near a set of deer tracks. I started following the tracks across the sage up into the junipers. I was thinking the same thing, if it turns out to be a 2 point will I shoot it?

I jumped him at 80 yards and it was a no brainer. Sweet buck with trash, tall and awesome brows on him. Turns out he was hit right above the hoof. A perfect pencil sized hole there. No other damage, no doubt he would have lived.

I even ended up finding out who hit him about 2 weeks later. He had shot it in the morning and had quit looking for it. He called it his buck. I told him to get stuffed.

 

[mtmiller]

How about if you don't have a gun with you at the time....fence post?????

 

[BuzzH]

I'm pretty much on the same page as Greenhorn, depends on the situation and how badly the animal is hurt. Its pretty amazing the way some animals bounce back from what some would think are life-threatening injuries.

I've shot a few animals that were obviously hanging by a thread, it sucks, but IMO its worse to watch an animal suffer.

Just this year I found a deer in Idaho about August that had been hit by a car, both hind legs smashed, as well as the pelvis. The deer had been alive for a long time and he had drug himself down the side of the road to a pool of water, the only reason I'm assuming he was still alive. That deer was not going to get better, there was infection/flies all over the open wounds on his shattered hind quarters...he was living on borrowed time. But, because I was working, and the FS doesnt allow any sort of firearm, I had no choice but to kill that deer with a pulaski. Not something I ever want to do again, but would if need be.

I dont blame anyone for making an ethical/legal choice either way...letting an animal suffer or ending it. Thats a tough call and I'm not sure there is a right answer. But, the one thing I do know is that I have to sleep at night living with my decisions, despite what the legality of the situation may be.

I guess if it came down to it, and a warden wanted to ticket me for killing an animal that was obviously suffering from a severe wound...I'd press hard and make sure my signature got through all five copies...and then have my day in front of a judge. But, thats just me.

 

[mtmiller]

Interesting story Buzz. I also put down a little two point mule deer with a pulaski a couple years ago. He was shot in the ass within 100 yards of a two-track during rifle season. He could not get back to his feet and it was obvious that he was laying where he was shot. I would liked to have found the fellas that decided to wound this critter and drive off, leaving it suffering where they shot it. Not a fun way to dispatch of a critter, but like Buzz, the only tool I had at the time. I think I could have had a lot more fun with the poachers vehicle, my pulaski and 5 minutes.

 

[Lawnboy]

Buzz assuming I was in your situation and had a gun i would of shot it. It wouldn't of mattered whether it was in or out of season. It's ridiculous to let something like that suffer. If I would of gotten a ticket, so be it. The warden would of done the same thing. Sometimes laws can get in the way of proper ethics and the right thing to do.

That's why I was frustrated that my family wasn't allowed to tag that cow elk that was going to just rot and go to waste It's against the law in Montana to tag an animal that hasn't been legally harvested.

I thought my brother said that in Alaska you can. Not sure?

 

[The Hedgehog]

I once put a small whitetail out of it's misery with a 22. It was -20 on MT highway 16 in January. The deer was laying in the ditch, freshly hit, compound fractures everywhere, head up, steaming, and blowing blood bubbles out of its nose. Out of season, no tag, wanton waste.. I'm sure some happy ass warden would liked to have written me some tickets, but I sped off in hasty poacher fashion.

 

[elkfarmer]

Ok, whats a pulaski????

I haven't been in this situation before but I am sure the buck wouldn't make it past me. After the deed is done, I don't know what would happen but I do know sleeping that night would be easier for me.

 

[wyomuledeer]

Bout three years ago I was out deer hunting and came across a little buck antelope that was severely wounded. It had his guts hanging out and it was up standing but couldn't even walk. I ended up just killing it. I figured it didn't have a chance at surviving.

 

[mtmiller]

Ok, whats a pulaski????

 

[BuzzH]

Something to consider when contemplating shooting a deer with just a broken front leg...

My Dad shot this deer on the last day of the 2006 hunting season in Montana. Not sure if it was born without the leg or not, but I'd have to guess it was likely shot off, or shot and rotted off.

Either way, that deer was getting along just fine, and it ran just like any other deer.The wound looked to be at least a year old and the deer had 1.5 inches of fat all over it.

Closer look:

 

[TheTone]

Its darn hard for me what I would do in that situation. I know in Idaho the state will issue me a replacement tag if I use mine on the wounded critter, but at the same time its really hard to say the animal is going to die no matter what. My job requires me to put down a fair number of animals and some of them are a pretty tough judgement call. Compound fractures, broken backs, inability to stand situations are easy to decide.

 

[elk_hunter]

I'm in agreement with Greenhorn, Buzz and miller...that's a really tough question with many right answers. Very subjective for sure.

 

[----]

I'm hoping the guys saying they would shoot and leave an animal are just making a bad joke...

I wasn't making a joke at all, I was being dead honest. The way I look at it, the animal is as good as coyote food anyways, which I have no problem with, they need to eat too. Why not put the animal down in a much quicker fashion and save it the suffering?

Coyotes still get their meal, I still get to hunt, and the deer doesn't suffer.
My morals might be messed up, but that's exactly how I feel about it, and like Buzz said, would have no problems whatsoever telling the exact same thing to the judge or warden.

 

[mtmiller]

Maybe an inappropriate picture, but this is the buck I felt I had to put down a couple years ago (guess it was only a spike). I did call FWP prior doing it, but if I could not have gotten them on the radio I would have done it anyway. I was pissed all day. No way I could be a CO.

 

[Goldtip]

I was pissed all day. No way I could be a CO.

I don't blame ya Miller, I would have been as well after seeing that.

I drive quite a bit and travel back and forth to home in Montana and have had to put down a few road hit critters. No reason in my opinion if they're bad hurt for them to suffer, but by god most people just drive off and leave'em broken up. Pisses me off when I see them with their head up along side the road, and some bastage didn't have the guts to use whatever means needed to end it. I used a reflector post once when that was all I had to use and agree with Buzz, not something I'd ever want to do again, but would again if thats the situation I found.

 

[BuzzH]

Miller,

I wonder if some numbnut shot it thinking it was a doe for a b-tag. I'd of been pissed too. Found a similar situation with a buck antelope several years ago. Someone shot it about like that then either didnt follow up on the shot, or left it. Either way, no excuse for that kind of crap, and like you I'd never make it as a CO.

If I witnessed that, I'd have a tough time not using a tazer and pepper spray..."quit resisting sir..."

 

[fowladdict]

I know in my home state I would finish the animal and call IDFG and ask them what they want me to do with it. If I have to tag it I'd tag it. Hopefully they would issue me a second tag. On an out of state hunt that would be tough...hopefully I don't have to ever worry about that.

 

[sweetnectar]

OK some of you have used pulaskis and some reflector posts, but would you ever use your truck or in Lawboy's situation his mower?

On a serious note, I would finish off a wounded animal most every time. I did attempt to finish off a white tail in the borrow pit with a large rock once. I was riding with a guy from out east that just hit it and we stopped. He was all shook up and the deer was still kicking in the ditch. I started looking through his car for something to use and only found a light weight tire iron which I figured would have taken lots of repeated blows to do the job. So I went rock hunting. After some searching I found a good sized 50 lbs rock and carried it back to the deer. Thank goodness the deer stopped kicking by the time I was lifting the rock over my head to do the deed.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

This year my buddy shot a nice 6pt because it came in limping and fell over a log.

I must admit that I like this scenario better than the original, without parameters.

I'd like to think I'd put the animal down and end its suffering. If I did, I'd certainly tag it. But in truth, I guess I'd have to factor in a lot of variables that would make the decision easier for me (i.e. what stage of the season, etc.).

I've probably taken the fewest big game animals of anyone cruising these boards & have had limited opportunities over the years for a variety of reasons (AZ draws are a real tough nut to crack sometimes) and limited success. I hit 40 last year so I've decided to make my opportunities really count rather than feeling the regret over the loss of those prime years. I passed several small bucks last year before striking out altogether--never saw the big ones I scouted up until the evening before the hunt--and didn't regret that.

My last elk hunt 4 years back was full of issues (had a lost hunting partner for 1 day) and on the 5th day, with failing light, I drew down on a great bull (almost my first elk) at 70 yards. When I shot, he visibly rocked back a bit and when I threw another shell in the chamber he got in the trees. He and his big buddy trotted out of there before I could clear the trees and I couldn't find any blood trail or hair. At first light, I ran into a warden & he suggested to keep checking for blood, because sometimes you get a straight pass thru and they can just go for a long while. I spent the morning checking the area and found nothing but the possibility that I fatally wounded him without being able to recover him made me sick to my stomach and I went home a day early.